Conception French channel
TF1 had been asking
Luc Besson to create a TV show for them since 2005, but the filmmaker kept turning them down due to his unfamiliarity with television, which is also the reason he sold the rights for
Transporter: The Series.
No Limit is the first series to come out of a September 2011 deal between the company, rebranded EuropaCorp Television, and TF1. Based on an original idea by Luc Besson, the series was co-created with screenwriter
Franck Philippon, whose first feature,
À ton image, was produced by EuropaCorp, and was announced by TF1 on April 6, 2012. According to Philippon, the ambition was to show things that had never been seen in a French show, and surprise the viewer. The creators started out wanting to tell the story of a father and his daughter, injected with a mix of action and comedy and Philippon added that the challenge, and the show's strength, was that balance of action, comedic and emotional moments. The show was titled after the discipline of
No-Limits Apnea. Diving holds a special place in Luc Besson's heart, whose parents were
scuba diving instructors, and who had planned to become a
marine biologist himself before a diving accident ended those plans and whose third film,
The Big Blue, was all about the subject. In addition, the title was meant to give the show an international-sounding name in order to widen its appeal and was also a reference to the state of the hero, who is afflicted with a brain tumor. The writers took inspiration from other TV shows to portray the condition, chief among them
Breaking Bad. The show is one of several ambitious new shows commissioned by TF1, along with
Falco and the English-language series
Jo,
Crossing Lines and
Taxi Brooklyn that showcase the channel's desire to become a bigger player in the international market
Format For the first season, each mission lasts two episodes, which is also the pace at which the directors rotate. The second season featured a single story arc.
Casting and
Sarah Brannens' characters is one of the central elements of the show.
No Limit represents
Vincent Elbaz's first regular role in a TV series and his performance was widely touted in the media as one of the highlights of the show. The 41-year-old actor was dubious about how the show could compare to similar American productions, but was sold thanks to Luc Besson's involvement and the ambition of the project. He described his role as "
James Bond with daily problems" and had to train intensively for the role, learning
Pencak Silat and
Krav Maga, He said it was the first time he had been offered such a role and that though he believes television can never reach the level of cinema, he does not think he has ever seen anything like
No Limit on French television. On the other hand, the show marks the second lead role in a TV series for Anne Girouard, after six years of portraying
Guinevere in the successful
Arthurian comedy
Kaamelott. Several media outlets singled out the 36-year-old's performance as one of the show's strengths. The actress was pregnant throughout the shoot and thus unable to partake in some of the more demanding action scenes, much to her frustration. The relationship between Brannens' and Elbaz's characters in one of the core elements of the show. Coincidentally, Brannens was also cast in a role on the procedural
Main Courante which premiered the day after
No Limit on competing channel
France 2.
Damien Jouillerot's character Tony Massart was originally scheduled to appear only in the first two episodes and die, but the actor impressed the producers so much they decided to write him into the subsequent episodes. Filming was entirely conducted in the Marseille region, including the
Mali-set opening scene of the first episode which was shot on the
Vitrolles plateau. The first two episodes were shot in two weeks while the next four took twelve days.
Season 2 The second season was already being written prior to the first season's debut, with Vincent Elbaz unwilling to commit before reading the scripts and the writers aiming to delve more into the characters' past. It was officially greenlit along with the third season on November 29, 2012, will consist of eight episodes and will start shooting in spring 2013 for an expected fall 2013 broadcast. ==Reception==